Harrell happy to play spoiler in Modified racing at Langley Speedway

David Thackham, dthackham@dailypress.com

Racer Danny Harrell is well aware of the history Langley Speedway could see by September. As of this week, Harrell’s rival Shawn Balluzzo is potentially four races away from a track-record-tying seventh Modified division title.

Harrell, just 10 points behind Balluzzo in the standings, isn’t about to give up without a fight. His team is working throughout the week to increase the horsepower inside his No. 95 car, including putting in a new motor, ahead of Saturday’s twin 30-lap showdowns.

“It definitely would be nice,” Harrell said Wednesday of the thought of knocking Balluzzo out of contention for the title. “We’ve been working on our chassis setup and trying to get more horsepower in the car to keep up with him. Hopefully this weekend will be it for us.”

It will be a challenge for any racer Saturday, much less Harrell, to dethrone Balluzzo this year. Balluzzo has led the last 160 laps over four races dating back to June 21. He posted his fifth win of 2014 the last time Modified cars race, leading from pole to checkers to win the Budweiser 50 on July 5.

“We’re normally the fastest or second-fastest car in qualifying, so the big thing is qualifying up front,” Balluzzo said. “You have to go from the first lap, there’s no saving or riding. You have to go wide open.”

But Harrell said he and his crew will be looking forward to the twin bill. He said it gives them a chance to retool the car in response to how other racers are faring.

“When you get twins, you run earlier that night and it allows you to readjust and make it better for the second run,” he said. “You don’t want to use up your tires, but you want to always go for the win. It’s a fine line to not overdrive it and still have good rubber on the second race.”

Smart tire management and a commitment to consistency have allowed Harrell to attain enough top-five finishes to keep in touching distance of Balluzzo with just four weekends left in the Modified season.

Harrell was able to steal a win back on June 7 during twin 30s when Balluzzo’s motor blew out five laps before the end of the opening race.

Team Harrell is hoping it can beat fellow racers without having to rely on them having unlucky nights.

Every race is important, said Harrell, who’s been racing at Langley since 1995, and racers have to make the best of every race.

“One bad night can make someone else have a good night,” Harrell said. “You’ve got to stay consistent from your setup and fine-tune things. If you do that, you’ll make the adjustments you need.”

With just a few more top finishes, Balluzzo could tie the track record for division titles currently held by Late Model driver Phil Warren, a racer whom Balluzzo looked up to when he was getting into the sport.

“He taught me a lot when I was racing,” Balluzzo said. “It would mean a lot to me. I may retire on the podium, because there’s not a lot more for me to do after that. Only thing is to try and break Phil’s record, and I’m not sure if I want to do that.”